Sunday, August 31 2008
VACARE WINS PALOMAR ‘CAP
Jon and Sarah Kelly's talented Vacare, one of the top female runners on grass in America the past couple of seasons, asserted her class in the final sixteenth to win the featured $200,000 Palomar Handicap Saturday.
With jockey Corey Nakatani in the saddle, Vacare, the 8-5 favorite in a field of ten older fillies and mares, rallied in company with Gotta Have Her on the far outside turning into the stretch and edged away nearing the wire to win by a half-length.
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Del Mar Stable Notes 8/30/8
ABRAMS' MENSA HEAT JOINS THE CROWD FOR DEL MAR FUTURITY
Maiden winner Mensa Heat becomes the 11th potential starter in Wednesday's Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity, the final stakes race of the 43-day meet where the turf meets the surf.
Jockey Joel Rosario has been chosen to ride if the 2-year-old son of Unusual Heat goes in the 7-furlong Futurity. Abrams has another option: The colt is entered in Monday's $100,000 I'm Smokin Stakes for 2-year-old Cal-breds at 6 furlongs on the main track. If Abrams exercises that option, Clinton Potts will ride.
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Saturday, August 30 2008
SLEW’S TIZNOW WINS EL CAJON STAKES
Unraced since October of last year, Slew's Tiznow displayed no signs of rustiness
as he breezed to an impressive victory Friday in the featured $108,700 El Cajon Stakes for three-year-olds at one mile.
Slipping through on the rail turning into the stretch under leading rider Rafael Bejarano, Slew's Tiznow disposed of pacesetting Young Joe and then drew off to win by three lengths in 1:35.62.
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Del Mar Stable Notes 8/29/8
TWO MORE ADDED TO POSSIBLE DEL MAR FUTURITY LINEUP
Maiden winner Wild Wild Posse, from the barn of trainer Doug O'Neill, and Myung Kwan Cho's non-winner Street Hero have joined the potential field for Wednesday's 61st Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity at 7 furlongs on the main track.
Wild Wild Posse, a $210,000 yearling purchase at the 2007 Keeneland September sale, is owned by Vinery Stables and Jeff Singer. He was a winner at first asking August 9 at Del Mar, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front at 6 1/2 furlongs.
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Friday, August 29 2008
WAKE UP MAGGIE WINS ADORATION HANDICAP
Irish-bred Wake Up Maggie, a 15-1 outsider ridden by Tyler Baze, seized the opportunity to rally between horses entering the stretch and went on to a decisive victory Thursday in the featured $86,000 Adoration Handicap for older fillies and mares.
Wake Up Maggie, a five-year-old mare owned by Bloodstock Management Services and trained by Julio Canani, drew out in the final sixteenth to win by almost three lengths, setting a Polytrack record of 1:35.42 for one mile. The old mark was 1:36.12 by Muny July 28.
Super Freaky, another longshot at 27-1, closed well through the stretch to be second, 1 ½ lengths in front of the 6-5 favorite, Model, with Lemon Chiffon fourth in the field of ten distaff runners.
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Del Mar Stable Notes 8/28/8
NEW SHOOTER TAKES AIM AT WEDNESDAY'S DEL MAR FUTURITY
Fresh from an undefeated season at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, comes Southern Exchange to contest the Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Wednesday, September 3.
The son of Exchange Rate will be supplemented to the field for $10,000 at Sunday's entry time.
Owned by Bill and Vicki Poston of Atlanta and trained by Gregory de Gannes, Southern Exchange has compiled a record of three victories, the most important of which came in Woodbine's Colin Stakes. De Gannes describes the Florida-bred as "very uncomplicated, a horse with speed who is a stalker in a race."
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Thursday, August 28 2008
TEN CHURROS WINS GENEROUS PORTION
Jockey Clinton Potts celebrated his 37th birthday in style Wednesday with a convincing victory aboard Ten Churros in the featured $108,200 Generous Portion Stakes for California-bred two-year-old fillies.
Ten Churros, a daughter of High Brite owned by Patti and Hal Earnhardt and trained by Bob Baffert, outran Tammy's Luck in the stretch to win by 2 ½ lengths in 1:11.61 for the six furlongs over Del Mar's Polytrack surface.
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Del Mar Stable Notes 8/27/8
11 ENTERED IN GRADE II PALOMAR HANDICAP ON SATURDAY
Multiple graded stakes winner Vacare will lead a field of fillies and mares in quest of Saturday's Grade II, $200,000 Palomar Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The Christophe Clement-trained Vacare is high-weighted at 119 pounds, including jockey Garrett Gomez. The 5-year-old daughter of Lear Fan, owned by Rancho Santa Fe residents Jon and Sarah Kelly, was fourth in her most recent start, the Grade I Diana Handicap at Saratoga July 26.
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Tuesday, August 26 2008
SUPER HIGH FIVE PAYS RECORD $437,893.40
Keyed by the 52-1 upset by Kiamika in the eighth and final race Monday, Del Mar's Super High Five wager returned a record $437,893.40 to a single ticket-holder. The bet was placed at a hub in Lewiston, Maine.
The Super High Five, new to Del Mar this summer, calls for bettors to select the first five finishers in exact order in the day's last race.
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Juvenile’s Unexpected Win Puts Trainer on Different Track
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," as the saying goes.
It may be a bit extreme to think that trainer Ron Ellis is facing desperate times, but he is facing a time calling for some measures he didn't think he'd need to call on quite so soon.
And it's all because of a precocious 2-year-old named Believe in Hope.
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Del Mar Stable Notes 8/25/8
POSSIBLE FULL FIELD SHAPING UP FOR GRADE II DEL MAR DERBY
With seven potential starters already in the fold, a full field of 10 appears likely for Sunday's 64th running of the Grade II, $350,000 Del Mar Derby.
Leading lights of those committed at this point to the 1 1/8-mile race on the Jimmy Durante Turf are Sky Cape, winner of Del Mar's Grade II La Jolla Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf August 9, and Gio Ponti, winner of the Grade II Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs July 19.
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Monday, August 25 2008
GO BETWEEN, GOMEZ WIN PACIFIC CLASSIC
Peter Vegso's favored Go Between, runner-up in both the Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup this year, gave jockey Garrett Gomez his second million-dollar victory in two days East to West, capturing the Grade I $1 million Pacific Classic, signature event of the summer racing season at Del Mar.
Gomez, who won the $1 million Travers Stakes for three-year-olds aboard West Coast-based Colonel John at Saratoga, Saturday, drove Go Between to a neck victory over Well Armed, with Mast Track third and Zappa fourth in a field of ten older horses.
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